Hill County Paw Pals, the grass roots group organized to help install a county-level
animal shelter and animal control program, recently hosted their 25th Low Cost Sterilization
and Vaccination Clinic in collaboration with Texas Coalition for Animal Protection
(TCAP) (a Denton based non-profit group).
Low cost pet sterilization service is a vital part in Paw Pals’ proactive strategy
to correct pet overpopulation.In fact,
no community has ever corrected their pet overpopulation issue without low cost
services made available.These clinics
continue to be performed on the first Tuesday of each month at the Hillsboro Civic
Center (old Wal-Mart Building).
Appointments are needed for surgeries by calling toll free
1-866-310-PETS.Vaccinations
are administered from 10am-2pm and do not require an appointment.The following Paw Pals volunteers worked to make last week’s event another
success: Cleo Davis, Andrea Finch, Dana Fuchs,
Anita Gilley, Jane Green, Mary Ann Johnson, Jean & “JD” Landis, Kathy Moore,
Diana Prince, Lea Slocum, Lonnie Tilson, and Lorie Welch.Hill County is thankful for the support given by the City of Hillsboro
for the use of the Civic Center to perform this needed service.

Hill County is designated as a rabies quarantine county (meaning the rabies virus
is present in our county), yet it is estimated that up to 20,000 dogs and cats living
with families in Hill County are unvaccinated or not current for the rabies virus
vaccination.This is a great health
risk for our children and families.
Texas Rabies Control Act states that every pet over 4 months of age must be vaccinated
against rabies.Violation of this law
is a Class C Misdemeanor with a fine up to $500.Paw Pals encourages pet owners to visit their local veterinarian for their
pet’s health care.To help correct
the non-compliance mandatory rabies control law, Paw Pals has organized a Rabies
Vaccination Clinic in conjunction with their
Adoption Day scheduled April 7th at Tractor Supply in Hillsboro.The Veterinary Technician Program
from McLennan Community College will host the rabies vaccination clinic.Rabies vaccinations will be administered
from 12-2pm.If you would like
to help with Paw Pals’ endeavors to correct pet overpopulation in our great county,
please contact us either by letter, phone, or email as listed below.